News

Congrats to the Reusers in Minnesota for a great conference on October 4, 2022! The energy—from check-in to the last session— was vibrant, exciting, and inquisitive.

The previous day, our team had the pleasure of connecting conference attendees with four Reuse Minnesota members: Repowered, Keys 4/4 Kids, Bridging, and Scrapbox Salvage. The attendees of these site visits received tours of each facility as well as a deeper understanding of what organizational reuse is here in the Twin Cities and the impacts they have on our communities. While these four organizations perform varying work and services, they all hold the values of sustainability, equity, and of course, reuse!

Later that day members of the reuse community gathered together at GRAZE Libations and Provisions to kick off REUSE22. Residents from Minnesota and beyond spent the evening connecting and discussing their work and opportunities in topics across the reuse and repurpose spectrum. Special thanks goes to the staff of GRAZE for hosting our event and to Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. for sponsoring the evening’s food.

Offering a fantastic start to the day, keynote speaker Deonna Anderson from GreenBiz covered how reuse can be equipped and utilized as a tool for change. This message echoed through the rest of the conference presentations and provided attendees with a reminder of the impacts of reuse and how they can better incorporate it in the work they do—whether they came to the conference representing a government agency, a nonprofit, or were just looking to learn more.

Following the keynote, attendees had varying sessions they could choose to attend covering many relevant topics of reuse today. These breakout sessions proved that reuse is much more dynamic and encompassing than people may believe. One session that intrigued many conference guests covered recovering history and materials, drawing insights to how reuse can better emphasize equity and engage BIPOC communities into decision making. Conference guests attending the small business perspectives session got to hear first hand accounts of business owners experiences with reuse on varying scales.

A few attendees commented on how they particularly appreciated the action steps provided by some speakers, allowing them to make immediate change. Another focus of the day was strategic collaboration between different agencies and industries. Waste is a problem for everyone; uncoincidentally, reuse is a solution everyone can partake in! By combining the strengths of non-profits, government entities, and local businesses, Minnesota can make reuse a viable and even preferred way to reduce waste and inspire sustainable living, production, and behavior.

Overall, REUSE22 was the culmination of passionate, knowledgeable, and dedicated individuals pushing for sustainable changes in Minnesota. We are thankful for the opportunity to host the event in-person at St. Thomas, as well as include some virtual options to make these discussions more accessible and far-reaching. For many, this was their first Reuse Minnesota conference and shows the growing commitment of reuse for individuals new to the field. While most attended the conference because reuse is directly related to their work or passions, the guests, speakers, and exhibitors benefited from the built-in networking opportunities throughout the day. Moreover, many attendees shared that the conference positively impacted their professional and personal development. Reuse Minnesota is grateful for the speakers, volunteers, sponsors, and attendees that made the event so fantastic.

Reuse Minnesota is excited to announce a partnership with Rethos: Places Reimagined to host Minnesota GreenCorps member Josh Hauf for the next eleven months. Minnesota GreenCorps is an AmeriCorps program coordinated by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and focused on training the next generation of environmental professionals. Rethos will serve as the host site and Josh will split his time between the two organizations. Josh's projects with Reuse Minnesota will include conference and event support, blog writing, and reuse storytelling. Reuse Minnesota members can look for communication from Josh in the coming months!

Welcome Josh! Please tell us a little about yourself.

I just graduated from the University of Minnesota-TC in May with a B.S. in Environmental Science, Policy and Management, and have been in the Twin Cities for three years now. As a Sustainability Intern for Aramark, I began and am continuing to lead a Fair Trade campaign for the University which is currently running and on track to be completed this upcoming Fall. I am from the Black Hills of South Dakota which fostered a love of hiking, kayaking, camping, and everything outside. I enjoy thrifting, collecting vinyl, utilizing my green thumb, and trying to explore the area a little bit more.

What is your favorite Minnesota season?

My favorite Minnesota season has to be Fall because my wardrobe is certainly geared most towards chilly but not cold. However, this past year I did find that MN springtime is a close second! 

What's a hobby you've always wanted to get into but haven't yet?

A hobby that I have been trying to get into recently is amateur screenwriting, but I haven’t been able to carve out quite enough time. I am looking forward to hopefully exploring storytelling more this upcoming year!

Lane County’s Waste Management Division is requesting quotes from design build professionals, and deconstruction and reuse experts and consultants for a Construction & Demolition Education and Technical Assistance program in Lane County, Oregon. 

The program is intended to provide outreach, education, assessments, and technical services regarding sustainable C&D practices to clients planning construction projects in the Eugene-Springfield area. The ideal consultant will render these services before or during the project design-or at the project management level. Furthermore, the consultant should have a combination of industry experience and staffing capacity to complete expected tasks, handle work order requests in a timely fashion, and understand that professional interactions should be conducted in a manner that prioritizes values rooted in diversity, equity and inclusion.

The City of Eugene is partnering on funding this program with Lane County.

A link to the RFQ is below:

https://www.lanecounty.org/government/county_departments/county_administration/operations/LaneCountyProcurement/rfps__bids_and_rfqs/r_f_q_construction_and_demo_education

Deadline for Submissions: 2022/09/30

The Northeast Recycling Council’s (NERC) Fall Conference—Next Frontier for the 3Rs—offers attendees an opportunity to discuss with peers from the US and Canada the topics of: circularity, food waste reduction strategies and communications, reusable packaging systems and one state's approach to growing the reuse economy, repurposing materials, construction materials reuse, recycling market development, and increasing the supply of post-consumer plastics. The one-and-a-half-day Conference will be held in-person on Nov 2 - 3 at the Sheraton Hartford South Hotel in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. 

Opening the Conference is the keynote presentation by Jon Smieja of GreenBiz about How to Unlearn: An All-of-the-Above Circular Strategy. The Conference continues with Katy Hart of ReFED talking about A Roadmap for Food Waste Prevention and Alissa Westervelt of donateNYC talking about Creating Partnerships with Food Rescue Organizations. Following is a session about communicating about food waste reduction with Adoma Addo of the Center for Biological Diversity presenting about Waste Words: Consumer Perspectives on the Language of Waste Reduction, and Krishana Abrahim-Petrie of NEWMOA and Lisa Piering of Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency talking about Use by is Dated. 

The first day continues with Karen Hagerman of Green Blue talking about Reusable Packaging Systems and Brooke Nash of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection presenting about how Massachusetts is Moving Upstream to Grow the Reuse Economy. The day wraps up with a session about repurposing materials and construction materials reuse with Damon Carson of repurposedMaterials and Pam Howland of Build Reuse.

The second day begins with Kellie Driscoll, of Trex presenting about a Grassroots Movement for Building Partnerships, Susan Bush of Circular Matters talking about the Support for Market Development, and Resa Dimino of FFS and SignalFire Group discussing Recycled Content Standards: Achievable or Pipe Dream.  The day wraps up with Marie Anne Champoux-Guimond, of Keurig Dr. Pepper Canada and Charles David Mathieu Poulin, of TC Transcontinental presenting Rethinking Plastic Packaging Recycling; and Adam Peer of the American Chemistry Council discussing More Volume, New Materials.

The Conference Agenda provides greater details about the sessions and schedule.

Go here for the Conference Registration.

NERC is a non-profit organization that conducts research, projects, training, and outreach on issues associated with source reduction, reuse, recycling, composting, and environmentally preferable purchasing.

The Reuse Minnesota Board of Directors is currently seeking nominations for board members. For complete details on the nomination process and board role, visit our website. 

Overview: Reuse Minnesota is seeking an individual or firm that is well-versed in conducting business needs assessments, and that demonstrates an understanding of and appreciation for our mission, values, and strategies. We seek to understand the needs of our current and past members and other reuse businesses and organizations in Minnesota. Ideal candidates will demonstrate existing familiarity with Minnesota businesses and resources. Results from this assessment will be used to inform and prioritize our work and resource creation, in order to best support the growth and vitality of reuse businesses in Minnesota.

Questions may be submitted at any time prior to the submission deadline. Questions and complete proposals should be submitted to info@reusemn.org, attention to Emily Barker. Proposals will be accepted through 4:00 pm (Central) on Tuesday, July 19, 2022.

Funding for this project is from the State of Minnesota’s Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF).

View complete RFP and project details here.

Reuse Minnesota was mentioned in an article about circular economies in Forbes! Thank you Garry Cooper, CEO of Rheaply, Inc. for highlighting the impact that Reuse Minnesota has on building a strong reuse economy.

Big news from our Right to Repair colleagues! New York state passes first-ever ‘right to repair’ law for electronics! Read the article here.

We will be hosting the annual REUSE22 Conference at the University of St. Thomas Schulze Hall in Minneapolis, MN. As part of our organization’s 10-year anniversary, we will be hosting social events on October 3, with the conference taking place on October 4. 

Our conference brings together individuals and groups from all around the state and beyond. We will highlight experts, business owners and community members in the reuse, repair, and rental sector. The majority of our conference will be in-person, but we are offering a limited virtual track.

Please consider signing up to be a speaker, exhibitor, or sponsor. The speaker proposal deadline is June 22! Visit the REUSE22 Conference site for all the details and to register.

Registration opens on June 1!

Thank you Bridging, Eureka Recycling, Minnesota Waste Wise Foundation, and The Green Mission, Inc. for being the first organizations to sign up as sponsors of our conference!

Ramsey County is hiring for an Outreach and Engagement Supervisor in Environmental Health. The posting will be open until 5/26/22 at 11:59 p.m.

The position provides leadership for the communication and community engagement efforts of the Environmental Health Division, with a focus on solid waste and recycling management. The unit works with communities throughout the county by engaging residents, businesses and schools, raising awareness through outreach and education, developing partnerships and networking, while being inclusive of environmental justice and health and racial equity considerations. This supervisor works in collaboration with the Ramsey County Communications and Public Relations department and works closely with communication staff in Washington County and with Ramsey/Washington Recycling and Energy. Responsibilities include providing direction of division communications including various media (social, news, advertising), managing contracts for consultants specializing in different cultures, planning, design and placement of social media and advertising, development of key communication vehicles such as the annual residential recycling guide and the Ramsey Recycles marketing campaign, and oversight of the Recycling Ambassadors and Fix-it Clinics.

To view job posting details and to apply: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/Ramsey/jobs/3546260/environmental-health-supervisor?keywords=environmental%20health&pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs